- State the specific date that you'll be back from your leave, and if relevant, who people can contact in your absence.
- Choose an email tone that fits your company's culture. For more formal environments, for example, choose a super professional template.
- Or, if you work for a more casual company, send yourself off in style. Choose a silly or sweet out-of-office message instead.
Writing Your Email
Choose a tone that suits your workplace, role, and comfort level. Depending on your job environment and personal style, your out-of-office (or, OOO) message might look totally different. In stiffer, corporate environments, you might choose to write in a more formal tone. On the other hand, if you work in a more casual environment, you might choose to entertain your colleagues with a sweet or silly automatic response instead. Not sure how to determine your office’s style? Look at old emails! If all else fails, look closely at the tone you and your colleagues use to message each other during the day—then, match it. Or, when you’ve finished, reach out to a coworker you trust and ask them to read what you have. Ask them to be honest about how they’d feel receiving this message from a coworker they don’t know well. Would it raise their eyebrows?
Explain why you’re out of office (if you want to). Whether or not you reveal that you’re on maternity leave is totally your call. As long as you talk to your boss and have your maternity leave approved, you’re not required to explain why exactly you’ll be out. That said, a lot of people do choose to explain the reason for their absence (because it’s the cutest reason on the planet!). Open your email with a line like this: Formal: “I’m currently taking my maternity leave and am away from my inbox.” Casual: “I’m sorry for missing your email, but I have a great excuse: I’m on maternity leave!”
Offer dates for when you’ll be back. For anyone who interacts with you professionally, knowing when you’ll be back is super helpful information. Next, give the specific dates of your maternity leave, from start to finish. That way, anyone who reaches out to you will have all the intel they need to pick up the conversation when you’re back at your desk. Formal: “I’ll be away from my desk for 28 weeks, from January 7th to July 7th." Casual: “I’ll be busy changing diapers and not sleeping for from October 30th, 2022-February 22nd, 2023.”
List relevant contacts to reach out to in your absence. Maybe you’ve arranged for people to handle some of your jobs and correspondences while you're away. If that’s the case, include them here. Or, you might ask that people only send messages that are urgent, and if they are, to mark them appropriately. Whatever you work out with your contacts should be reflected in your email. Formal: “In my absence, please contact Sherry Walsh ([email protected]) for Sales inquiries and Tom Lin ([email protected]) for recruiting updates.” Casual: “My amazing colleague Cyla Abdul (abdulcyla@wikihow) will be available to any address urgent matters (I promised her tons of cute baby photos in return).” It might make sense to show relevant colleagues your OOO email ahead of time, so everyone's on the same page.
Explain your boundaries and how contactable you’ll be. In all likelihood, this is something you’ll have discussed with your team or your boss. You might expect to be fully unplugged during your maternity leave (“I won’t be checking my emails.”), or you might decide that you’ll be checking periodically (“I’ll be going through my emails infrequently”). Or, you might ask that others follow another system to keep your inbox organized. Formal: “Please mark any/all time-sensitive messages as “URGENT” and include any relevant dates in the subject.” Casual: If you have something time-sensitive, email Tony. I’ve asked him just to pass along the really important stuff, so don’t forget to plead your case! ;)”
Tweak your automatic reply for in-house emails if you want. It might make sense to have a different message for external emails and internal emails. For example, if you know that your company would rather you have a formal public persona, you might tweak your tone for one, while keeping the funnier message internal. Or, you might decide that people on your team would benefit from other contacts at the company, while clients might not.
Basic Message
Hi there,Thanks for your message! I’m out of the office on maternity leave, but I’ll be back on August 24th, 2023. Touch base with my assistant, Leo Slack, if you have an urgent message:Leo Slack (phone: 600-129-3789, email: [email protected])Thank you so much, Keysha Nichol
Formal Messages
Hello,Thank you for your email. I’m on maternity leave until March 3rd. Until that date, I will not be returning emails or phone calls. If you have an urgent message, please reach out to the following contacts for assistance:Invoices: Ella Jameson ([email protected])Ongoing projects: Yusef Osman ([email protected])Pricing: Demarcus Smith ([email protected])Thank you,Frieda Hudson
Hi,I will be out of the office from December 20th, 2023 until April 1st, 2023. During this time I will be checking emails infrequently. If your message is urgent, please write “URGENT” in the subject line, including any relevant dates.Otherwise, I’ll return your email as soon as possible upon my return to the office.Warmest regards,Max Fisher
Sweet Messages
Hi,I have some exciting news—my little family is growing! I’m taking maternity leave just a little bit early, because it seems that my son just couldn’t wait to meet us. I should be back at my desk by the end of November, and until then, I’ll be in and out of my inbox. My lovely colleague, Nora Meinken, will be handling things while I’m away; you can reach her at [email protected] appreciate your patience while I enjoy this special period at home with my little one.Many thanks,Mboni Wentz
Hello everyone,I’m thrilled to announce that I’m resting peacefully on maternity leave. For the next 2 months, I’ll be at home, spending time with my little one. Until I’m back at the office, all messages should go to Jai Basutkar ([email protected]) or Candy Wellman ([email protected]).In the meantime, don’t be a stranger. We’d love to hear from you over Instagram or phone. Thank you all for the well wishes!Aiofe O’Connor
Funny Messages
Hello hello,The time has come—I’m finally on maternity leave! I’m trading work briefs and process docs for… spit up and sleepless nights? Um, who came up with this deal anyway?Just kidding. I’m thrilled to spend time with my little one. During this time, I won’t be reachable by phone or email, but I’ll be back by my desk in early July. In the meantime, I’ve bribed my coworkers with the promise of cute baby pics, so you can direct your inquires to:Santiago Ruiz: [email protected] Roberts: [email protected] Wilshire: [email protected] thanks,Caroline Jones
Hi,I finally popped!You heard it here first: I’m on maternity leave. I’ll be checking my emails off and on, but I’ll be fully back in the office by the 20th of September. If you have any parenting tips, send them my way (to be honest, my wife and I are totally winging this thing).For sales questions, contact Isla Marx ([email protected]). For recruiting questions, contact Forest Hamlin ([email protected]). For pictures of the cutest baby on the planet, follow me on IG (@viviennehargrove999).I’m signing off. See you all on the other side,Vivienne Hargrove
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